


Dragon Age Writing Prompt Replies

by jinxies



Series: Aaliyah Adaar [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabbles, Fluff, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prompt Fill, Some Inquisitor Backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-04-21 09:52:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14282358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jinxies/pseuds/jinxies
Summary: Short vignettes focusing on Inquisitor Aaliyah Adaar and/or her Inner Circle, friends, & family.-  -  -Expect this to be very rough around the edges and (possibly) unedited. Crossposted from the r/dragonage writing prompt threads{Currently updates every Saturday, if possible.}





	1. A Quiet Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from 04/06/2018: "A quiet moment between your two companions, as they watch your Hawke/Warden/Inquisitor doing an every day thing." 
> 
> Aaliyah Adaar gives a group of fresh recruits quick archery lessons as Bull and Blackwall admire watch from afar.

Iron Bull and Blackwall stood at the farther side of the courtyard, drinks in hand as they observed Aaliyah instructing the recruits, her raucous voice booming off the courtyard walls of Skyhold.

Bull nudged Blackwall's arm, pointing his bottle towards Aaliyah. "You know, she's pretty good with that bow." He took a swig from the bottle, groaning as the liquid burned his throat "I never really noticed."

"Well, it is hard to when you have demons all over you or a dragon breathing fire at your dick." Blackwall said matter-of-factly with a chuckle.

Bull stifled a quiet laugh, "Oh yeah. Right."

The men watch as Aaliyah stepped in front of a line drawn into the ground. She turned to the recruits, barked out another line of instruction and nocked the arrow. The group watched attentively as she pulled the bowstring, holding their breaths. Silence rang through the courtyard, as the men watched Aaliyah. Her dark grey skin shimmered in the light of the midday sun, face emotionless as she bit her bottom lip, focusing on the target.

" _Whoa_ , does she always look _that_ serious when she shoots?" Iron Bull said in a low whisper, bringing his bottle up for another swig.

"Always. It's a thing of beauty."

"It's kinda hot."

Blackwall cut a look towards Bull, eyebrows arched and his cheeks lightly flushed under his beard, more from Bull's statement and less from the drink.

Bull quirked an eyebrow, "What? Am I wrong?"

"That's another way to put it, too, Bull."

Bull turned his attention back to Aaliyah, giving Blackwall a pat on the back. "You're a lucky man. You know that?"

Aaliyah released the string, the arrow whistled through the air and landed on the bull's eye with a satisfying thud. She turned towards the group, pointing towards the target, addressing them once again. She had them step farther back behind her as they all moved farther away from the target, about one hundred feet. She pointed towards the target once again as she made another line on the ground. Aaliyah nocked the arrow once more, bringing in a deep breath, pulling the string into a full draw. Silence fell once again. She released the string the arrow whistled through the air landing on the bull's eye, beside the previously shot arrow. The recruits gasped in awe and clapped as she turned back to the group.

"Ooh, nice one."

Aaliyah held up her hand to silence the recruits. "Alright, I hope you have taken notes because you will be shooting tomorrow. For now, go to the sparring ring and wait for further instructions."

She turned to her companions, hands perched on her hips the heels of her feet digging into the soft ground. "Oy! Are you two going to just sit there and gawk at me instead of putting the equipment up?!" She placed the bow securely on her back as she advanced toward the pair, clapping her hands. "C'mon we need this place clear before the next training session begins, stop slacking off! You can be drunks later!"

Aaliyah stood in front of the men, shaking her head. "I can't have these men and women thinking my companions are a bunch of slackers." she playfully snatched the bottle from Blackwall's hand and drank the rest of the mead down. "And if you two were gonna sit here drinking, at least you two could invite me along." She upturned her nose to the taste, groaning, "And drink something stronger than this garbage."

"Sorry Boss"

Aaliyah chuckled, handing the empty bottle back to Blackwall. "Don't say sorry, the both of you can buy me drinks later as a formal apology." She leaned in, giving Blackwall a kiss on the cheek. Blackwall tensed up from her soft lips gracing his cheek. "Especially from you, dirty old man."

Before Blackwall could say anything, she was already heading up the steps into the main hall.

"Yeah, I'm a very lucky man indeed, Bull."


	2. Catching Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaliyah and Ashaad have a bit of catching up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since nobody wanted to speak to me for last weeks prompt I waited til there was a catch up week and lo and behold it finally came. 
> 
> So I decided to go with the prompt: "Starlight, the scent of winter, breath catching" for this week. Since I've wanted to write Aaliyah's father, Ashaad, for a bit before I begin to add him in my semi-secret project, I opted for a father/daughter moment.

Ashaad looked at the star lit sky, the frigid winter air tingling his cheeks as he leaned on the railing. He took a deep breath taking in the bitter cold air, "Its going to snow, looks like it'll probably be bad."

Aaliyah chucked, taking her place beside him, "How do you know, _Old Man_ , do you feel it on your bones?" she wigged her fingers at the words with a smile

He looked over to her, an eyebrow half arched, staring daggers into his daughter. It had been several days since he finally reunited with his daughter. Seeing her again after so long brought a great weight on his heart that he missed so much. She had grown up to be a fine leader, but a side affect of that leadership meant that she would be away for weeks at a time either for meetings, closing rifts, or dealing with other kinds of bullshitery that he didn't want to think about. Now he stood next to this huge figure beloved by some who could fix the hole in the sky, who joked about his old age. It brought a huge smile to his face knowing that she didn't take her title to her head. She was Aaliyah, his child, who played in mud puddles after warm spring rains and made snow men only to pulverize them to pieces after the winter snows.

Ashaad held back a chuckle at the memories as he observed Aaliyah, a goofy look on her face, as she wiggled her long well manicured fingers, dressed in formal wear that he noticed that she really did not feel comfortable in, but just enough to not let it bother too much.

Aaliyah's wiggling fingers ceased as she noticed the smile on his face, "Oh. You're serious about that?"

Ashaad ruffled his large hand through his daughter's hair, a booming laugh erupting from his chest, "Yup. One day you'll feel it in your bones when you're old like me." he gently smoothed her hair back down, his lips upturned into a warm smile, "Remember when you were ten and you told Ma and Me that you were never going to grow old? 'I'm going to be ten forever Pa!'"

Aaliyah beamed, her cheeks flushed from the memory and the cool air, "I do and I still believe that now, Old Man." she said with a smirk, nudging her his side with her elbow.

He huffed, "Well this _Old Man_ pinned you down earlier _ten times_ , and _still_ had more to spare for those tiny humans, _SO_ I would cut that out if I were you, _Imekari_." Ashaad smirked as he folded his arms in feign disapproval but he couldn't resist keeping a smile on his face, not when Aaliyah started to pout.

"Yeah, yeah, I was... having a bad day. I will get you next time." Aaliyah puffed out her cheeks with a smirk. "We should get back to the party, Pa. Can't keep the people waiting." she began to turn back towards the main hall before she felt a hand on her arm, pulling her back outside.

"Hhhhooold up there, Missy!" he thumbed towards the main doors, shaking his head, "Those stuck up nobles can wait for a few more minutes. I want to spend some more time with my daughter. We have a lot of catching up to do."

Ashaad gently pulled his daughter back into place with a pat on the head, "Besides I think a few of those people are into 'big horned men', did you know one of them tried to touch my horns? And I think one of them wanted me to meet them in their chambers later."

"Oh!" Aaliyah's breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide in horror, " _Oh!_ I'll have to talk to Josephine about that!" She turned towards the doors of the main hall, but was stopped by Ashaad's hand on her shoulder, turning her back around.

"No, no! It's fine. I'm used to these nobles and their... kinks? I gave one of them a look and they nearly pissed their breeches." Ashaad placed a hand on his hip triumphantly as he twirled his mustache, a hearty guffaw echoing through Skyhold, "You should've seen the color drain from that prissy little mask!"

The laugh that came from Aaliyah was sudden and caught her by surprise, she leaned onto the railing, hand clasped tight to her chest to catch her breath, "Pa, no you didn't!"

"Ask that Warden friend of yours, he was there when it happened, saw the whole thing. He had to leave the room to laugh."

Aaliyah stifled a giggle, brushing the tears that crept in her eyes, "You are going to fit in here just fine, Pa. Just keep _that_ up."

"Thank you. It's what I do best, Imekari." Ashaad's ears perked at the sounds of the music swelling inside of the main hall, "Oh it looks like the music finally picked back up," he bowed, offering his hand to Aaliyah, "Would you care to dance with your Old Man, before that Warden snatches you up again?"

She chuckled as she took her fathers hand, following his lead into the main hall, "I'm sure Blackwall won't mind, Pa... But I'd love to."

"Great! Lets show those nobles how The Adaar's do it!" Ashaad's great voice raised enough to get a few head turns from the nobles moving about.

Aaliyah scoffed in embarrassment, "Pa, please."


	3. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prompt: "A drink, a sigh, tension, a heavy silence, a feeling of dread while remembering a good moment."

 "What's wrong Love? You have that look on your face again... something on your mind?"  
  
Aaliyah shook her head, taking the bottle from his hands, she idly stirred the liquid in the bottle, "It's nothing, I don't wanna ruin this, Kadan. We finally have a moment alone and—" she stirred once more with a huff, "You're greedy! There isn't enough in here for me to savor the rest, how rude of you!"

Blackwall grunted, giving a light pinch on Aaliyah's hip, "Tsk, tsk, Ali, you're doing _that thing_ again. We've talked about this — _you've_ talked about this."  
  
"Ow! Okay!" Aaliyah rolled her eyes, her lips taut, "I know. I know," she drank from the bottle, a deep chuckle bubbling from her throat. "way to use my words against me, ass."  
  
"Good girl," Blackwall said with a low growl, kissing the base of Aaliyah's horn, his hand lazily running through her hair, "glad to see you've remembered." he chuckled, grabbing the bottle they shared, placing it on the nightstand. "So what's troubling you, Love, I'm listening..."  
  
"So, the healers saw Ma again today and the looks on their faces after they evaluated her. We thought she was going to get better, she was improving..."   
"Is she going to be alright?"  


Silence.  


Blackwall slipped his fingers under Aaliyah's chin, tilting her head up to meet his gaze. Her lips parted, wanting to speak but nothing came out but a whine as she bit her painted lip.  
  
"Aaliyah..." he urged softly once more as she melted into his arms.  
  
"No." Aaliyah shook her head, "I was thinking about the years before all of this. When I was a child." she began, the memory swirling in her mind.  
  
"We all would go into town once a week to sell our stock, mingle with the townsfolk, help earn their trust. One week there was a festival in town, I begged Pa to close down early so I could go play the games they had and the festival food was always amazing. We played many games, and of course, Pa would help me win. Ma got so mad! She scolded him for most of the night for spending too much on the games."  
  
Aaliyah smiled as the memory played, she could faintly smell the food, hear the laughter of children and the midsummer warmth on her skin. She turned to Blackwall, tears forming in her eyes and he gently wiped them away with his fingers. He gave a nod and she continued.  
  
"There was a big dance at the end, and the entire night while I was scarfing down festival treats, I watched my Ma and Pa dance." Aaliyah chuckled, her fingers idly running through Blackwall's beard, "The way her face lit up when he took her by the hand and swept her across the dance floor. It was so majestic, so romantic. They were happy. I was happy to have such wonderful and loving parents who loved each other as much as they did."  


There was a silence between the two as Aaliyah buried herself back into his arms. The violent knots that formed in the pit of her stomach, the voices from the healers echoed through her mind, she did her best to shake it. But being here in his arms, her hand running through the hairs on his chest and his beard, it brought her some comfort from the invasive thoughts that plagued her mind. Then she recalled the little things her parents would do to show their love for each other.   
  
_Don't dwell on it_ , Aaliyah thought, as the knots continued twisting tighter. She glanced up to see Blackwall with a smile spread across his lips, patiently waiting for her to continue. She cleared her throat, hoping that the lump that formed wouldn't betray her.  
  
"Did you know they used to write each other love letters almost every day?"  
  
"They did?"  
  
"Mhm," She chuckled under her breath, her voice straining against the lump in her throat. "Pa would stay up late at night, writing a letter and leaving it on Ma's pillow before he would go out and hunt for the day. The look on her face when she read them always made my days brighter." her voice cracked, "But when Pa disappeared, would still read them but she stopped smiling after a while."  
  
He pulled her in close, taking a hand rubbing her back as she began to shake in his arms. "Ali.."  
  
"When Ma finally saw Pa the day he came to Skyhold, she smiled... but it wasn't the same smile as before. It's like she _knew_ she didn't have that much time here!" Aaliyah choked back a sob, her hand curled into a tight fist on Blackwall's chest.   
  
"Fuck..." Aaliyah uttered under her breath, curling into his embrace, "I know she doesn't want us to linger on it but I just can't! I'm going to lose my mother."  



	4. Story Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I didn't realize you felt that way about children."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt for 05/04/2018, I might fix some things and expand on this in the future~ gave me a lot to think about.

"Come on, Miss Adaar, tell us the story about the dragon again!" A small bright-eyed child lightly tugged on Aaliyah's tunic, and Aaliyah looked down to see four children surrounding her, the youngest, who was impatiently tugging on Aaliyah's tunic, while the oldest, who was inspecting each and every detail of the griffon rocker that she was painting.

Aaliyah grinned as she carefully placed the griffon rocker aside to let it dry before neatly placing the paints carefully back into its case,"I've already told you that story plenty of times, guys, surely you would be bored of hearing it again for the hundredth time?" she pulled off her apron, setting it down on the workbench, facing the children.

"Please!" the youngest girl said, as she continued to tug on Aaliyah's tunic.

"We love hearing that story!" one of the middle children said, as she bounced in place, her long braids bouncing with her.

Aaliyah picked up the youngest girl, "Alright fine! I can't resist those smiles! You've broken me down. Come, sit by the fire." She directed her hand towards the direction of the fire pit, they all scattered, taking their seats quietly. Aaliyah sat down on the bench in front of the fire pit, the young girl securely on her lap as she began to recall the story.

"We finally set up camp in the Hinterlands and we were about to call it for a day, but we got reports about a dragon that was in the area. My companions and I decided we wanted to take care of the threat before the sun went down, so we stocked up headed out into the valley where the dragon nested."

"You're telling that story again, Love?" Blackwall called out as he entered the stables, "Haven't they heard this before?"

The girl who sat in Aaliyah's lap puffed her cheeks and huffed, shaking the stuffed dragon that was in her hand towards Blackwall, "Mr. Blackwall, please! Shhhhh!"

Aaliyah waggled her finger in the same manner, "Yes, Mr. Blackwall, how rude of you!" she flashed him a cheerful smile as she patted the space on the bench beside her, silently offering him a seat, "The kids wanted to hear it once more and I love telling it."

"Oh! How rude of me indeed, I apologize, please continue." Blackwall took his place beside Aaliyah as she recollected her thoughts, looking over on the little girl that sat in her lap.

"Now, where was I?"

The little girl offered the stuffed dragon to Aaliyah, who took it from her hands gently, "You were heading to slay the scary dragon!"

"Oh yes, thank you! So there we were, dodging fireballs left and right, lots of dragonlings surrounding us, we fought them all the way to the Dragons clearing where she made her nest."

"Here it comes, the good part is coming!" The eldest child nudged one of the middle children.

"I began firing my arrows at one of its back legs, The Iron Bull took the other side, and Blackwall kept it's attention the best he could." The children gasped, bring a huge grin to Aaliyah's face, "You should have seen him, dodging the Dragons massive claws and enduring great heat with ease and with the help of Shanni, she cast her barrier spells, conjuring a great blizzard to slow down the beast."

"Whoa, really Mr. Blackwall!" the middle child looked up him, a wide grin spread across his face.

"My Lady tells no lies."

"Wow!" The children exclaimed and Aaliyah laughed as the youngest one in her lap began to bounce.

Aaliyah continued telling the rest of the story as the children listened attentively, their eyes wide in amazement. Like the many times before, their cheers would fill the walls of the stables. Two of the children going so far as to reenact the events and would ask Aaliyah and Blackwall if they were correct. It was one of many joys Aaliyah liked having in a world gone mad and being in this moment with some of the children who inhabited Skyhold was always a moment well spent away from her worries. Once she reached the end of the story, a woman ran into the stables, out of breath, frantically looking around before noticing the group of children around the fire pit.

"There you are! What did I tell you about running off?!" The woman gasped out the children ran up to her, "Oh Inquisitor! I hope they weren't a bother to you! I know you have a lot of other things to do than watch them."

Aaliyah chuckled, walking up to meet the exhausted woman, waving her hand dismissively, "No! They are absolutely delightful! They wanted to hear that story again. Your children really do make my day brighter so please, let them bother me anytime."

The woman clasped her hands around Aaliyah's, bowing "You truly are a blessing Inquisitor, thank you! Have an amazing night." she unclasped her hand, turning towards her children, "What do you say to the Inquisitor, children?"

"Thank you, Miss. Adaar!" the children said in unison before running out of the stables.

"You're welcome! Have a good night!" Aaliyah closed the stable doors and wiped her brow. "Whew."

"How many times have you told them that story, Ali?"

Aaliyah turned to Blackwall, crossing her arms, "About twenty times now, it never gets old with them. It keeps them busy for a while and not running around Skyhold. Did you see their faces when I get to the part when you and Bull deliver the killing blow? _Priceless._ "

"Ah, that is the best part, I can see why they love hearing it so much."

"They truly are a delight. The kids here remind me that there still many good things in the world. I'm delighted they've been pestering me lately. Makes me forget that there is still a gigantic hole in the sky, y'know?"

"I didn't realize you felt that way about children, Ali." He paused for a moment before a smile crept onto his lips, "Have you... thought about having any?"

Aaliyah eyes grew wide, her freckled face completely flushed. "A-ah...I... don't know." she stuttered, nervously scratching the back of her neck, "I've thought about it on more than one occasion." her face began to burn as the words tumbled out.

"Well, from what I've seen these past couple of weeks, you would make a fantastic mother, Aaliyah." Blackwall slipped his arms around Aaliyah's waist, pulling her into a tight hug.

She stammered, burying face in her hands in embarrassment as the thought came to her mind. Sometime in the far-off future, the two of them in a modest little cottage, with a happy and healthy bundle of joy in her arms as Blackwall played with the family dog. Aaliyah couldn't deny that it was a pleasant thought, becoming a mother one day. Blackwall teaching them how to fight and Aaliyah teaching them how to hunt and every year they would go to summer festivals and the Free Marches' Grand Tourney. Giving her child the childhood that she never had brought a smile to her face and a warmth in the pit of her stomach. Aaliyah uncovered her face and laughed, giving him a light kiss on his forehead.

"You know what, that doesn't sound so bad after all. But for now, lets just fix that big hole in the sky before we plan on anything of the sort."


	5. Pranks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Sera, Shanni, do you have anything to say to Miss. Montilyet?
> 
> Shanni said nothing for a moment; she looked down and fiddled with her slender fingers, chipping away at the black nail polish on her nails, "Sorry we made you wet." she mumbled out before Sera and Shanni burst into uncontrollable laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shanni finally makes an appearance after she decided to stay silent last week, and of course she's getting into trouble.
> 
> I decided to do a freeform prompt since the ones this week wasn't sticking to me. Enjoy!

The weather in Skyhold was pleasant. Everyone didn't expect the weather to get warm enough to not have to worry about developing a cold or wearing heavy coats while walking around doing the day-to-day. Aaliyah decided it was a excellent time to get some outdoor chores done, she couldn't stay cooped in her quarters all day when there was work to be done.

She headed towards the stables and decided to help out with Blackwall and Master Dennet with the horses, the one thing she enjoyed doing the most. It was the closest thing that brought her back to home. The work was laboring but at the end of the day, she sat down with Blackwall in the loft of the stables, their legs swinging in the open chilled air as they shared the fully ripened melon Aaliyah slaved away at for months. It was all worth the trouble.

They both sat in silence as they ate, quiet giggles here and there as the juice of the melon caused a mess until they ate every last bit of it. Aaliyah sighed as she leaned against Blackwall, enjoying the sounds of the birds above and the horses softly moving around in their pens, until Blackwall gently nudged her with a gentle laugh, "Is that Shanni and Sera running over here?"

"What was that, Kadan?" Aaliyah opened her eyes, looking down into the courtyard, seeing two figures running towards the direction of the stables, "Oh no..." she stood up, crossing across the loft of the stables and down the stairs to meet the pair, both of them red-faced and out of breath.

"Ali!" Shanni lurched forward, her hands on her skinny knees, breathing heavily, "Help! Scary... Antivan!"

"Shanni, Sera what's wrong?" the pair skittered behind Aaliyah, trying their best to hide behind Aaliyah's frame, "Why are you hiding behind me?" Aaliyah turned her head towards Shanni, her bright green eyes meeting hers and there she saw it, she realized that Shanni got into trouble... _again_.

The two women said nothing as Aaliyah placed her hand on her hip, tapping her bare foot onto the firm cool ground, visibly annoyed, "Shanni... Sera... What did you do?"

"We didn't do nothin'!" Shanni pointed towards Sera, "It was Sera's idea!"

"Well, _you_ thought it was a brilliant idea!" Sera said with a chuckle.

A shout was heard from across the courtyard, "You!" Aaliyah whipped back around hear a familiar voice behind her, it was Josephine, who was soaked to the bone and still visibly dripping with water, a well-manicured finger angrily pointed towards the pair behind her back.

Aaliyah gasped, "Josephine? Why are you soaked?" she paused, looking at Josephine, back towards the pair of elves behind her and back to Josephine once more, "Oh no. What did they do this time?" she said flatly with a groan.

"This time?" Blackwall interjected, crossing his arms.

"I was to meet with one of the tailors Madame de Fer recommended for the upcoming event," her glare cut towards the two elves behind Aaliyah, "I was leading them into my office and suddenly it was dark... and very wet.

Shanni, Sera, and Blackwall snickered in unison and Aaliyah snapped back glaring at the trio. They all swallowed audibly, taking a step back away from the Qunari. She turned back towards Josephine with a bright and warm smile, "Is the tailor still here, Josie?" Aaliyah said softly.

Josephine flushed and nodded, "Thankfully, yes. But I can not talk to them with wet clothes." she gathered her wet hair, wringing some of the water from it, "I will need to go change."

"Don't worry about it, Josie, I'll go talk to them and see if I can smooth things over until return," Aaliyah turned and grabbed Sera and Shanni by their arms, towing them up towards Josephine, "Sera, Shanni, do you have anything to say to Miss. Montilyet?

Shanni said nothing for a moment; she looked down and fiddled with her slender fingers, chipping away at the black nail polish on her nails, "Sorry we made you wet." she mumbled out before Sera and Shanni burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Aaliyah grabbed the both of them by their pointed ears, pinching them gently. "Don't be so crass! Apologize...properly or I'm gonna make you two do laps around Skyhold!"

" _Ow!_ Ow ok!" Sera yelled out as she struggled against Aaliyah's grasp, "We're sorry!"

"This won't happen again, Josephine!" Shanni huffed.

"Much appreciated..." Josephine bowed before turning back, making her way across the courtyard again, mumbling and cursing under her breath.

"Well then, since we apologized we're off the hook then, yeah?" Sera wrapped her arm around Shanni's shoulders, holding her close as they began to walk away, "Shan and I are gonna go now—ow!"

"Oh no you don't," Aaliyah grabbed the both of them by their clothing, hauling them into the stables, "You two almost screwed it this time, that could've been a potential ally that could've walked through that door instead of some tailor."

"We're terribly sorry, Ali." Shanni scratched the back of her head, her dark skin flushed with embarrassment.

"I'm just glad it was just some stuffy tailor that _I_ have to talk to now," Aaliyah said with a smile. "I need to keep you two out of trouble while I'm gone, I have another melon in the loft with your names on it. Blackwall will cut it for you. Take that or—"

Sera gasped, "Whoa, you mean that big 'ole that was in the garden?"

"The last one up, has to eat the rind!" Shanni yelled as she made her way to the steps.

Before Aaliyah could finish her sentence the pair ran up the stairs into the loft, Aaliyah turned to Blackwall and sighed, "You think you can babysit those two while I smooth things over?"

"Sure thing, Love. Just hurry back before they eat _everything_." Blackwall leaned up, giving Aaliyah a kiss on her cheek.

Aaliyah laughed as she turned to walk out of the stables, "If one of them actually eats the rind," she paused, hearing the pair above laughing and giggling, "I wouldn't be shocked."


	6. Approval

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shanni decides to finally test out her Necromancy skills out in the field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although there wasn't a prompt today, I wanted to keep up posting on time. Shanni decided to come on out today, finally.
> 
> UPDATE: Fixed some grammar problems, squashed some run ons and tense fuckups. Thank you to the nice folks over at the DA Writing Group for the feedback!

Shanni was excited, more excited than the day she flung her fireball at Blackwall's head when he asked that strange question the day she started to study Necromancy. She didn't need any ones approval; this was the moment she had been waiting for months. Training with Viuus Anaxas into all hours of the night and studying great tomes bigger and older than she is. The looks she got around Skyhold when she literally started to smell of death after her long practice sessions. Shanni was ready to be more of use than just a combat healer, she was ready to strike fear into those who even dared to cause her great harm. After listening to Aaliyah's and Blackwall's incessant, not very restrained flirting and Varric and Blackwall's jousting squawking for the past few hours grated on her nerves. She rather deal with the sand of the Wastes that got between the cracks of her toes. Shanni began to regret not packing her boots. The nearest camp wasn't too far away and it would be opportune timing to wash the sand from her feet and strap on her walking boots.

Just a few more minutes Shanni. Then you can wash your feet, crawl into your tent and get a nap. She thought, the grip on her staff getting tighter imagining her silk-lined bedroll draped around her skin. Walking over the dunes Aaliyah came to a stop, pulling a telescope from her pack she peered into it, cursing under her breath. Shanni ran in front, gently pushing Varric and Blackwall out of the way. She looked up at her, the look of concern on her face was troubling. Down below she saw a camp, but it didn't look like an Inquisition camp. Barricades, a slave cage and dozens of carts around.

"Red Templars?" Shanni whispered as she leaned on her staff, her heels digging into the coarse sand. _Fuck_ she should have worn her boots.

Aaliyah grimaced, "Yeah, I see... An archer, two soldiers, and I think a Venatori mage." She swiftly folded the telescope and placed it safely into her pack. "Is everyone ready? I want to get that spellbinder out the way first, I'm not having another one fuck me up like last time."

"I got it, Ali, just wait for my signal." Shanni pulled her hood over her head and with a tap of her amulet, she cloaked. Cautiously making her way down the slippery dune—now she's _really_ regretting not wearing boots— as the sand catches under the bindings on her feet, grating on raw nerves.

She stopped within feet of the camp, taking a drink of her special lyrium brew, her face twisting at the bitterness. Shanni fingers tingled as the magic flowed to her fingertips, gathering a deep breath, she conjured a massive fire. The roaring of the flames capturing the attention of the four men just feet away from her. With a great push, the wall of flame suddenly made its way to the enemy, the flame caught fire to their armor and gradually began to consume them. They panicked and Shanni started reciting her spell with the greatest of ease, the four men overcome with a sense of intense dread, stopping them in their tracks. Shanni shouted over to Aaliyah as she quickly took out the mage, their death rejuvenating her, sending her into a moment of bliss. The three made it down the dune with greater success than Shanni and joined the fray. She continued freezing them in their place, hurling fire and summoning wisps with great ease. Her staff glowed and sang as she began to feel inspired to fight harder and faster. That bliss intensifying, but she kept it at bay with admirable restraint.

 

* * *

  
Shanni began recalling the first time she used her abilities, that bliss she felt almost sent her into a frenzy. She wanted to kill everything in sight, just so she could feel it again and again. It took Viuus a while to calm her down. He was thankful that no Templars were around at the time, even though they were under explicit orders not to go after any mage in the Inquisition.

_"What is this I'm feeling? Why did I do that?" Shanni asked through tears, clutching her staff as tight as she could, choking back a sob. A ring of fire surrounded her feet, charged and mangled bodies lined the training room as a wave of shame came over Shanni._

_She had failed once more to control her magic, it was something about these spells, so new foreign and forbidden to her that almost made her snap. The bliss she felt was warm and inviting, tempting her to fight harder and push herself to the limit. It reminded her to the Reaver she once met, so much raw power. The look on their face when they pushed themselves to the brink of death to fight harder. The intense smell of metal in the air as they bled, hitting faster with reckless abandon. It was almost the same feeling and it was so weird. She wasn't some brute warrior swinging their axe around, she was a mage, even something greater to be feared. She could control her magic, keep it at bay from it going out of control but something in her made her lose it, it horrified her._

_Viuus gently stamp out the fire that was at Shanni's feet, walking up to her and placing his arms around the small elf. His almost clawed fingers gently drumming on her back, "I haven't seen this in a while." Viuus said softly, brushing the tears from her eyes. "This is normal, Shanni, but it has been a while since I've seen this happen. Don't fret, you can control it."_

_Viuus recited a mantra to Shanni, words she never heard before but they sounded so familiar. She softly repeated it under her breath and that feeling of boiling that was in the deepest pits of her stomach finally quell, her mana finally feeling at rest. Shanni felt like a new woman again with clear eyes and even a clearer head._

_"Don't you feel better?" The man asked softly._

_Shanni sniffled, "I do, thank you." she hastily wiped her bloodshot eyes on her training robe, a quivering breath escaping her lips._

_"Alright then, Shanni. Do that spell once more and remember." Viuus gave Shanni a gentle pat on the back as he resurrected another corpse. "You have great potential as a Necromancer, Shanni. Now show me once more."_

 

* * *

 

Finally back at camp, Shanni hastily unraveled the bindings on her feet, grumbling as sand fell from the fabric. She took the water basin and washed off her feet, the frigid water bringing great relief to her sand worn feet. Shanni sighed as she dried them off, placing her boots on but not bothering to tie them, stuffing the laces into her shoes. Today had gone just as she planned it would be. That feeling of bliss she felt was kept under control, and she was able to not exhaust herself greatly with her mana use. If anything it was perfect, but she only wished she was faster at casting. She would have to work on that another time. As she grabbed the basin to run the remaining water through her hair, she had this eerie feeling that someone as observing her, almost hesitating to speak.

Shanni hissed, "What do you want Old Man, gonna ask me if I was going to fuck that corpse." she turned her head slightly to see Blackwall standing not too far side of her, out of his armor and in his gambeson. The look she cut at him made him swallow hard and loud.

"A-ah... no. I want to apologize for that," he stumbled over his words a bit, guilt twisting at his stomach. "That was totally uncalled for, Shanni, and I apologize that I've offended you."

She tipped the water basin over her head, running her fingers through her wet hair, "You damn right it was." she made no attempts to hide the intense venom in her voice as she blindly patted around the large crate she sat on, feeling for her towel.

Blackwall grabbed the towel, handing it to her. "I have to say, that was some impressive work back there, Shanni."

She took the towel, giving her head a good scrub before placing the towel around her neck, "Hmmph." she looked away hiding her smile, "T-thank you, Thom."

Blackwall froze in his tracks, a low and rumbling chuckle in his chest, "Did you call me Thom? You've never called me by my name."

"What, do you want me to call you Old Man again because I can." she snapped with a quickness, her voice cracking and her tough demeanor slowly falling from her grasp. He wasn't getting her kindness that easily.

"No, no, I'm just—"

"Shannnnniiiii!" Aaliyah ran over, hugging Shanni from behind with enough force to knock the breath out of her and almost off the crate, "That was amazing! Initially, I was anxious about this whole Necromancy thing but the moment that Red Templar just exploded, just wow!" The words tumbled out of Aaliyah, almost melding into each other.

"Aaliyah, you're getting sand everywhere, please!" Shanni coughed out, squirming under Aaliyah's intense grip.

Aaliyah rounded Shanni, clasping her hands and looking deep into her green eyes with roaring enthusiasm. "You have to do that again sometime, please!"

A moment she had been waiting for months and she didn't need any ones approval... but maybe for a bit, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Sure thing, Ali. Anytime."


End file.
